Women hope for power bloc

Updated 12:03 pm, Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Heather Knight, City Insider columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, is seen on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Heather Knight, City Insider columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, is seen on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Russell Yip, The Chronicle

Women hope for power bloc

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They're a mix of established politicians and those just starting out. They're gay and straight women. Asian, African American, Latina and white women. They've got a transgender woman, too.

In San Francisco, that's no big deal.

What separates the slate of women running for the Democratic County Central Committee - to the chagrin of some men who are also running - is that they span the city's political spectrum from a progressive Burning Man enthusiast to a moderate Marina district lawyer.

In a city where men hold seven of the 11 seats on the Board of Supervisors and every other top elected position - from mayor to district attorney to city attorney - women are finally banding together, regardless of their political persuasion.

Of the 46 people running June 5 for the 24 seats on "the D-triple-C" - a body that not only launches political careers but also makes powerful endorsements in more high-profile races - 18 are women.

And for the first time anybody can remember, they're all working together to mentor each other, raise campaign money, send out slate cards to voters and walk precincts.

(So if you see 18 determined women walking to your door in the next couple of months, it's probably them.)

Having the women run as a slate was the brainchild of Alix Rosenthal, a deputy city attorney in Oakland and the aforementioned progressive Burning Man enthusiast.

She first ran for the DCCC two years ago and vowed to help get more women into politics if she was elected.

She said she's just following through.

"I would like to see the tenor of politics change," Rosenthal said. "I feel like there's been a history in recent years of personal attacks and vendettas. Female politicians don't engage in that kind of activity as much as the men do."

Kat Anderson, the moderate Marina district lawyer, said she was skeptical at first, but after attending several meetings with the other women on the slate, she's been won over.

"We're looking forward to bringing new blood and a fresh perspective to the DCCC," she said.

Some men running for the DCCC are grumbling privately that Rosenthal really just wants to chair the group now that its current leader, former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, is leaving. If she can get a bunch of women elected, she could secure the post.

And the men don't necessarily think they're a bunch of infighting brutes - or that women are always kind and cordial.

"I don't know if Margaret Thatcherwould have brought a lot of cordiality either," quipped Rafael Mandelman, who is running for DCCC and gunning to be chairman himself.

Gabriel Haaland, another man running for the DCCC, said he thinks voters will give more stock to endorsements from official groups - like the San Francisco Women's Political Committee, which often issues its own female-heavy slate cards. But candidates banding together because of one shared characteristic may not carry as much weight, he said.

"I'm not sure I would think it would be useful for me to be on a gay slate, because it's just a random group of people who are gay," he said, noting he'd instead be delighted to receive the endorsement of the Harvey Milk Club.

Supervisor Scott Wiener, a longtime member of the DCCC who's running again, said he thinks it's great that women are joining together. Asked whether he would consider forming a men's slate, he said, "I think most of government has been a men's slate for several thousand years."

"We want to see more women in the pipeline, and it's a great example of women leaders coming together and supporting each other to move the collective women's agenda forward," Cohen said. "When it's all men, sometimes it lacks a little diversity. Frankly, they don't walk in our shoes - be it high heels or flats."

Asked what specifically the women on the DCCC would advocate for, Cohen said she didn't yet know.

"Let's see what good stuff we can cook up - no pun intended, of course, just because we're women," she said.

Quote of the week

"Are you kidding me? I sat on the Board of Supervisors with Chris Daly."

Former Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier when asked if she found Ross Mirkarimi threatening or hard to work with

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